Title: Unicorn Tears
Author: Gis
Rating: PG-13
Category: Michael/Maria
Summary:  The most AU fic I've ever written, and it's M&M...do you need any more of a reason to read it?  Okay, okay…In a world of lost legends and folklore, one unicorn finds the truth.
Disclaimer: If I owned Roswell I'd be writing episodes, not fanfiction.
Author's Note: This is my first Roswell fic, so a little feedback would be nice.

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~Part Six~

A small bead of sweat trickled down Michael's face, dripping into the soil below. It was an extremely warm day for the time of year and he looked up, noticing very few clouds dotting the sky. Today was perfect.

It would have been a lot more perfect, however, if he'd known where Maria had been last night. He'd spent all night watching for her among the trees, but she never turned up.

"Probably out terrorizing some unsuspecting creature," he told himself, pushing his shovel farther into the dirt. The notion made him smile as he imagined her quizzing a squirrel about what kind of acorns it preferred, sombering again when he saw the other men approaching the fields for the day.

"Maxwell," he grumbled, when his two friends made their way over to him.

Hiding a smile, Max took the shovel that Michael had been holding, putting as normal an expression on his face as he possibly could. "Hey, I was just talking to that Maria girl," he told him, raising an eyebrow when Michael appeared to be releasing a deep breath. "I guess Liz found out that she didn't have a proper place to sleep, so she invited her to stay at her parents' home until she finds a place of her own."

Noticing Max's odd glances towards him, Michael crossed his arms and let out a short, frustrated huff. "Your point, Max?"

Max shrugged, forcing the shovel deep into the ground as he took over Michael's previous task. "She asked me to tell you to meet her in front of Liz's house." Watching Michael out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mouth nearly begin to turn up, but instead form a straight line.

Well, at least he knew Alex was right about one thing; there was actually a person in this world Michael could stand being around.

Crossing his arms, Michael shook his head, exasperated. "I have responsibilities here Max, and I can't just up and leave. Why didn't you ask her to come here with you?"

Shrugging slightly, he avoided looking up at his somber friend. "I just figured it wouldn't take you too long, and Alex and I could cover for you until you got back." Alex nodded casually, agreeing with him.

Glaring at them, their gruff friend narrowed his eyes. "Fine, I'll be back soon."

They both watched as Michael turned around and stocked off in the direction of the Parker's home.

When he was finally out of sight, Alex broke down in a fit of laughter. "I told you! You didn't believe me, but now you've seen it with your own eyes, my friend."

Max just smiled, pulling a rock out of the soil and throwing it onto a pile of stones. "Well, I just hope he doesn't kill us tomorrow after he finds out what we've done."

"And what have we done?" Alex asked innocently, picking up another rock and chucking it.

Shaking his head and smiling, Max threw the shovel at him. "Get to work. We've got a lot more to do today now."

. . .

The air smelled of honeysuckle and lilac, Maria noticed as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes after resting her elbows back on the ground from her cross-legged position. She reveled in the warm sunlight that was dripping down from the clear blue sky, seeping into her porcelain skin. It felt like heaven.

She smiled as she heard Michael's footsteps in the grass and felt him drawing near. He was such a mystery to her, yet she felt more comfort being around him than nearly any other creature she'd known. That, in and of itself, was a mystery she wasn't certain she would ever solve.

"Max told me you'd be here," he stated, shoving his hands in his pockets as he looked down at her.

Opening one eye, she glanced up at him, not willing to move quite yet. "Of course I'm here. Alex said you wanted to see me," she replied, reaching a hand up to pull him down onto the grass next to her.

Michael sat down for a moment, staring at her before he realized what she'd just said. "What?"

Sitting back up, she looked over at him, "He said that you wanted to show me around town today."

Closing his eyes for a moment, he held in the curse that had been forming on his lips. He should have realized that Max and Alex had been up to something earlier. It was just like them.

Letting his eyes drift open again, he noticed the confused expression on her face. "Didn't you want to show me around town?" she asked, biting her lip.

This couldn't be good. "Uh, no. I did. I just forgot it was today," he supplied, throwing a smirk onto his face. "You ready then?"

Nodding her head, Maria watched as he stood up and then reached down, pulling her to her feet.

Tucking his hands back inside of his pockets, Michael tilted his head towards town. "Shall we?"

. . .

A tiny bell above their heads rang softly as they entered a small store Michael had pointed out to Maria from across the dirt road running through the middle of town. She had been asking questions about its history practically non-stop since they'd arrived, and he couldn't help but smile at how happy she seemed to be learning everything she possibly could. It was like she was in love with knowledge and all of the possibilities it brought.

"Mr. Guerin, 'aven't seen you 'round 'ere in a while," a short, nearly balled man standing behind a long counter said, smiling with a toothy grin.

Michael looked over at the man, trying not to roll his eyes. The reason people acted so friendly around him just to try and sell him more merchandise was beyond his level of comprehension. They probably didn't realize just how annoyed it really made him.

Walking around the back of the counter, the small man approached Maria. "An' oo migh' this young filly be?" he asked, watching as Maria made her way passed a few large displays, too entranced with the objects in the store to notice him.

"Earl," Michael growled, already getting annoyed with the man. "Do you have any...fragrances?" he said, asking for the first thing that came to mind.

The store owner gave him a cheeky smile, chuckling at the look of horror that crossed the younger man's face. "I think I 'ave some bath oils in the back. Le' me go 'n check," he told him, disappearing into a small storage room.

A few moments later, a small display of pots came crashing down onto the floor behind him, scattering themselves around the tiny store. Michael turned around to look at the troublesome pixie standing there, twisting a piece of one of her sleeves in her hands while she glanced at the mess on the ground.

"What 'appened in 'ere?" Earl asked, running in from the back room with a few bottles in his hands as he surveyed the damage.

Plucking the bottles from the man's grasp, Michael pulled Maria out of the mess, quickly pushing her through the door. "Just put this on my tab...all of it."

Walking away as quickly as they could, he turned towards the girl that was guiltily taking glances back towards the shop. He couldn't help it - a deep laughter erupted from him, causing Maria to glare back at him.

"It's not funny," she huffed, slugging him in the side.

This just caused another bout of laughter to over claim him as he clutched his side, more from the irony of the situation than from her weak attempt at a punch.

He forced himself to calm down a bit when she started walking off without him.

"Maria," he said, catching up with her and trying to get her to slow down. "Maria, look I'm sorry." She stopped walking at that, still refusing to face him. Sighing for a moment, he stepped in front of her pulling her chin up to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry. I won't laugh at you again," he promised, watching as she glared at him before rolling her eyes.

"You'd better not."

He fell instep with her once more as they began walking again.

"I don't have much time before I have to get back to the Parker's," she stated, scouting out their next destination, "and there's a whole lot more that I haven't seen yet."

Michael felt his face drop. She didn't plan on seeing the whole town, did she? With the trouble she'd already managed to get them into, he didn't know if he'd last!

After all, they'd only been to one shop...